RageWelding
Well-Known Member
I grabbed a open box fryer for only $42 at big box outlet to put in the RV. In the house we have the ninja dual basket air fryer.
Best Air Fryer Recipes
- Thread starter Islandgirl
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Rain City
Crew Member
Are you running that on shore power only?
RageWelding
Well-Known Member
Yeah that would be correct or my generator when we don't have a site with hook ups.
Stizzla
Crew Member
I have a Ninja Af101c on the way from Amazon. On sale for around $140 which is like $50 off
Corey_lax
Crew Member
NINJA OP301C, Foodi 9-in-1 Pressure, Slow Cooker, Air Fryer and More, with 6.5 Quart (6.2L) Capacity and 45 Recipe Book, Black/Gray, 1460W (Canadian Version) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07JFQQR3W...t_i_EZN0Z7QE5Y40SHTJ12WH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
This is the one I just bought. Used it tonight and all good so far. Pretty big faux pas to cook wagyu steak in an air fryer but it’s what I did lol. Wings were great
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WHO DAT
Crew Member
We received a 4qt "Bella" used twice like it! small but good for 2 or batches.
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ChilliSpoons
Well-Known Member
Left over pizza is great in the air fryer
Islandgirl
Well-Known Member
I bought a Salton from thriftys for 50$ before Christmas ( reg 129). 5L capacity. It makes the very best baked potatoes and doesn't take a lot of room on the counter. I would think a family would want a larger one.
Have some familiarity with a number of air fryers and have come to two conclusions.
If the direct cooking components cannot be removed for cleaning and are dishwasher safe, they are not worth the effort. You do not want to be trying to reach in and scrub off burnt on food and grease off of internal walls etc. Cleaning filthy, greasy, burnt on food from fixed oven components by hand in a tight space is no fun. Even then the control/heating unit and the fan screen usually need to be cleaned by hand and cannot be submerged in water or the dishwasher. The external cleaning of the control/heating unit is not too bad, but the fan screen can get covered with burnt on oil/fat etc. over time, and is easy to overlook if the other components are removable.
You may find many are too small, and the bigger capacity ones are better, especially if you have a family or need to do a lot of chicken wings when you have friends over etc. I find with the smaller ones you are tempted to put in too much food and if they are over full the forced air does not circulate as freely as needed for excellent results.
If the direct cooking components cannot be removed for cleaning and are dishwasher safe, they are not worth the effort. You do not want to be trying to reach in and scrub off burnt on food and grease off of internal walls etc. Cleaning filthy, greasy, burnt on food from fixed oven components by hand in a tight space is no fun. Even then the control/heating unit and the fan screen usually need to be cleaned by hand and cannot be submerged in water or the dishwasher. The external cleaning of the control/heating unit is not too bad, but the fan screen can get covered with burnt on oil/fat etc. over time, and is easy to overlook if the other components are removable.
You may find many are too small, and the bigger capacity ones are better, especially if you have a family or need to do a lot of chicken wings when you have friends over etc. I find with the smaller ones you are tempted to put in too much food and if they are over full the forced air does not circulate as freely as needed for excellent results.
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Which one based on your observations would you recommend?
Aquaholic
Crew Member
Soon to end up in garage sales all across the land? Or a great device that will be used by many?
Rain City
Crew Member
I think people will realize that a small convection toaster oven is a far better product to own. I think the air fryers that spin are kind of need for wings and fries because they're actually doing something different. But they're capacity isn't great, they're hard to clean and kind of one trick pony's IMO. If you were the kind of person that had a deep fryer, and used it, then they might be a better option to replace those. But a good toaster oven is way more versatile and with fans now in them they make a lot more sense as the one large item to have on your limited counter space.
Aquaholic
Crew Member
I have been in many high end homes in our area over the years, as a tradesperson/business owner, and as a Realtor. It is uncanny to see all these Wolfe, Sub Zero or Gaggenau appliance filled kitchens with a well used toaster oven sitting on the counter somewhere. Like that duct taped, ratty La-Z-Boy in the Frasier tv show amongst all the fine artwork.
I have a small to medium sized Miele wall mount convection oven that I have been using as an air fryer for years, the size is great for larger quantities, super fan/air movement. As mentioned earlier, many already have an air fryer if they have a convection oven, but are unaware. A friend of mine didn't even know what it was, as she had a dual setting oven, conventional and convection choices, and never used the convection setting.
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Asking which counter top air fryer I would recommend is a little like asking which vehicle I would recommend. It really depends on your needs and preferences and just like cars, there will be a great many opinions on which manufacturer or model is best. So what do you want it to maximize; quality of components and build, availability of replacement parts and after market accessories (name brand), value and low cost, quality of the fried food produced, amount of food, ease of cleaning etc.
For me, it is ease of cleaning combined with a good if not the absolute best outcome, because I don’t care how good of a fried product it produces, if I have to mess around much with cleaning after, it is not going to get used. New designs and variations seem to be coming out all the time, but for now my personal choice is one that the cooking compartment and components can all (with the possible exception of the surface with the fan screen) be removed for soaking, cleaning and are dishwasher safe.
These type usually have a handle that you can pull out that removes the cooking chamber for easy cleaning, as opposed to those that have doors like toaster ovens. If they have a door, they are a lot like small versions of full size range ovens, except they don’t come with self-cleaning. If they have doors, cleaning is always going to be more of a pain than the pull-out type. Sure you can remove the drip tray, and racks etc. to clean them and those parts are typically dishwasher safe, but you typically still have to reach in and clean all the oven surfaces and the inside of the door, not just the one surface with the fan screen.
An example of the pull-out type I have used is the Ninja that Costco was selling a while back. It produces a very good crispy fried product and was reasonably priced at around $100. at the time. The downside with it, and this is true of the vast majority of air fryers of the pull-out type, is that I find it small. It is fine for one person, even a large man, but for two big eaters or a family, in my view does not fry enough food in one go.
They are now making a few pull out type that will make a larger volume of fried food, which I have not yet tried. For example, Philips makes a couple of larger volume pull-out types that will take a whole chicken or 1.4 kg of fries and has lots of bells and whistles like an excess fat removal function and what looks like some sort of air vortex technology and has additional accessories that you can purchase. They are however expensive, and I would think in Canada you will get into the $350. or $400. plus range.
https://www.usa.philips.com/c-p/HD9654_96/premium-airfryer-xxl#see-all-benefits
Chefman also makes a larger pull out type at a much better price than Phillips, but there may be a difference in quality.
Besides the pull-out type and the door type, there is another type. I have an Instant Pot Ultra computerized pressure cooker which I use a lot. I purchased an air fryer lid for it, so essentially one appliance on the counter but with two lids. It converts the pressure cooker to a top loading air fryer appliance. In terms of ease of cleaning, this is a great option as all components can be removed for cleaning and the dishwasher except for the lid with the motor and fan. While the lid which houses the fan screen cannot be put in the dishwasher, the lid can be turned over and cleaned a lot easier than trying to clean the fixed fan screen surface in either the door type or the pull-out type. It is also a little larger capacity than some pull out types. It does produce a good result, but not quite as good as the Ninja pull out, and I assume some other pull-outs, probably because it is adapted rather than purpose built from scratch as an air fryer.
Something else I have is the Gotham Steel Crisper Tray system for the big range major appliance ovens. They come in a small size and an XL size, and I use both. If it is a large convection oven it will enhance the air frying capability of the oven by allowing the forced air to circulate all around the fries or wings, and even if your oven does not have convection capability, I find you get a decent result on the great Cavendish Farms frozen McDonald's size fries with just the Crisper tray.
I have noticed that the major kitchen appliance manufactures have taken notice of the air frying fad. Some now have an air frying option on their big ranges. Now is this just good marketing by renaming the convection function or are they actually making their convection ovens better and faster at air frying with greater air flow etc. I suspect the latter. For those of us who hate cleaning, all large ovens that have an air fry/convection option are likely to have the self clean function to super heat and turn that burnt on food and oil to easy to wipe out ash powder. I was reading about a manufacturer that has developed some sort of built-in steam cleaning function. I may have to get myself a new range.
There are also some over range built in microwave ovens that also air fry, so lots of options out there if you don’t want to clutter up your counter space. Got to say though, I also hate cleaning the Microwave oven.
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Corey_lax
Crew Member
Well I think you nailed it. I have no more questions lol
